Read the poem and answer the questions given below it.
A Letter Never Posted
I wrote it on the night we fought, Imran,
in pencil first, then over it in ink:
three pages on the cricket bat I broke
and blamed on you before I stopped to think.
I said I missed our long walks home from school.
I said the new boy’s jokes were not that bright.
I said that I was sorry. Twice. And then
I struck one out. Two did not seem quite right.
I bought a stamp and wrote your full address.
I left it on my desk to post next day.
Next day you sat beside Vikram in class,
and so I put the envelope away.
Each Diwali, when we cleaned the house, it moved
one drawer down, under bills and broken pens.
Your family left for Pune that December.
I heard it later, from our common friends.
It is still here. The stamp is two rupees,
the flap unstuck, the pages curled at the end.
Last year I found your number in a group.
I typed out “Hi, it’s me,” and did not send.
What do the lines “Next day you sat beside Vikram in class,
and so I put the envelope away.” suggest about the speaker?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Seeing Imran with another friend hurt the speaker, so the letter was held back.
The lines show why the ready letter was not posted.
- The stamp is bought and the address is written. The letter is ready “to post next day”.
- Then Imran sits “beside Vikram”, “and so” the speaker puts it away. The words “and so” link the two. The speaker felt hurt, and pride stopped the apology.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The speaker was too busy at school that day to go to the post office. — Incorrect. Wrong reason: “And so” gives the reason: Imran sitting beside Vikram. Being busy is never mentioned.
Option 2: The speaker thought that Imran had told Vikram about the broken bat. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: The poem never says the speaker feared Imran would tell anyone about the bat.
Option 4: The speaker planned to hand the letter to Imran in class instead of posting it. — Incorrect. Contradicted: The speaker “put the envelope away”. It was never given to Imran and is “still here”.